A FINE AND RARE BLUE AND WHITE CUPSTAND MING DYNASTY, HONGWU PERIOD

of lobed octafoil form, the shallow rounded sides rising to a barbed everted rim divided into eight bracket foliations, molded on the interior with a central raised ring and around the exterior with crisp radiating ridges dividing the lobes, finely decorated overall in soft tones of underglaze-blue accented with 'heaping and piling', the slightly recessed centre with a leafy peony spray and attendant bud, surrounded by six chrysanthemum wreathed in a foliate stem and eight varieties of lotus sprigs around the cavetto, the rim detailed with a 'classic' scroll and key-fret on its outer edge, the central ring picked out with pendent lappets, the exterior painted with petal lappets on each lobe, the recessed base and short footring left unglazed and burnt to pale orange

Associated Peninsula auction, Hong Kong, 1990s, no. 12 (label).

There are some light scratches to the glaze on the interior and minor occasional glaze gaps around the central ring and on the underside. Otherwise the cupstand is in overall very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A very similar cupstand from the collections of Jean-Pierre Dubosc and Mr. and Mrs. John A. Pope, was included in the exhibition Mostra d’Arte Cinese/Exhibition of Chinese Art, Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1954, cat. no. 611; another from the collection of Dr. H.P. Stevens, was sold in our London rooms, 28th June 1966, lot 70; one with a lotus spray in the centre, in the Capital Museum, Beijing, is published in Shoudu Bowuguan cang ci xuan [Selection of porcelains from the Capital Museum], Beijing, 1991, pl. 86; and a fourth example from the Edward T. Chow and Myron S. Falk collections, now in the Meyintang collection, is published in Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, vol. 4, bk. I, London, 2010, pl. 1627.

A cupstand of this type with a lotus scroll replacing the chrysanthemums was excavated from the waste heaps of the Ming imperial kilns at Zhushan, Jingdezhen, and included in the exhibition Jingdezhen chutu Ming chu guanyao ciqi/Imperial Hongwu and Yongle Porcelain Excavated at Jingdezhen, Chang Foundation, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 17.

Compare also a copper-red version of the present dish, from the Meiyintang collection, published in Krahl, op.cit., vol. 2, pl. 644, sold in these rooms, 7th April 2011, lot 44.